A Catholic’s legacy can bring light to the darkness

We all leave a legacy. Part of my legacy is the reuse of paper towels. I wash them out and hang them over the faucet to dry. I do this with aluminum foil and plastic baggies. Where’d I learn to do that?

From my mom-n-em …  who learned it from her mother, who grew up in the Depression.

So, my grandmother taught the values of frugality and concern for the environment. What a legacy! Guess who’s learning to reuse paper towels now?

What will be your legacy? How do you begin to think about that? Ask yourself, what do you value? What beliefs influence your generosity? Who introduced those beliefs and values to you? Their impact on you is part of their legacy. Their influence helps form your legacy. 

Our legacy is the spiritual and material impact we make on our family and in our community by how we live and what we leave behind. As our legacy is how we live and what we believe, how does the church influence us? We are called to be disciples, to be saints. 

We should think about our legacy in terms of holiness. How will you be a saint to your family, to your community? How will your influence leave an impact even after you depart this world? 

Legacy Sunday

The Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) is excited to offer the Second Annual Legacy Sunday weekend Feb. 1-2. Created through the vision and support of Archbishop Aymond, Legacy Sunday is the weekend during which the parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans invite their parishioners to discover their Catholic legacy.

CCF has provided all parishes with a variety of resources to help the faithful discover their Catholic legacy and consider leaving a charitable gift to their parish in their will as part of their legacy plan.

A Catholic legacy encompasses two vital components: the spiritual and the material. The spiritual aspect is our values and the faith we impart to our family and those around us. The material aspect involves the valuables we leave behind, which also has a profound impact on others. 

Legacy is important

Why should we talk about legacy in the first place, especially in the context of our faith? Because we are made for legacy. God created a legacy in Jesus. Jesus gives us the legacy of the Eucharist, the church and the Holy Spirit. God created us to leave a legacy just as Jesus did. When I embrace that truth and acknowledge the many ways in which God has blessed me, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness and humility. I want to try to emulate his generosity. 

Secondly, I think of the church as family. Of course, as baptized Christians, we are all brothers and sisters in God’s family. In my family, and probably yours, our most momentous events happen at the parish: baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals. Church is where we find the love and mercy of God in the sacraments. It is where we build relationships with others and go out and serve in the community. So, when I reflect on legacy, I think of how I can care for my parish, just as I care for my family. I want my family to know that it is important to invest in the spiritual future of our grandchildren and others for generations to come. 

We just witnessed a horrible event in our city, and we wonder what we can do. We can only overcome evil with love. Our parish needs our legacy gifts to continue the mission of spreading Christ’s message of love. The church needs resources to bring the message of hope that only comes from faith in Jesus. This is vitally important in our culture today. Legacy gifts are a great way to provide those resources. 

I invite you to join me on Legacy Sunday in discovering our Catholic legacy. You will find resources on the CCF website for help in navigating the process of including the church in your legacy plan: https://ccfnola.org/legacysunday. Gifts bequeathed through a will are likely to be the most significant gifts we can make, carrying the potential for tremendous and lasting impact for decades. 

Besides giving through a will, there are other avenues through which you can plan your giving to the church, including naming your parish as a beneficiary of your IRAs or insurance policies, donating property, stocks, QCDs and more. For guidance or questions concerning any of these planned giving methods, we at the CCF stand ready to assist. Feel free to contact us at (504) 596-3045 or via email at [email protected]. 

The legacy we create is about the lives we touch, the faith we nurture and the enduring impact we make within our community. When I updated my legacy plan to include my parish and school, I gained a sense of peace and joy. I want you to have this peace. 

Join us on Legacy Sunday weekend, Feb. 1-2, by attending Mass at your parish, and together, we will shape our Catholic future through our legacies.

Cory Howat is executive director of the Catholic Community Foundation. He can be reached at [email protected].